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MONS :
Monuments |
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GENERAL Mons (Home) History of Mons Le Borinage Info on Belgium SIGHTSEEING Monuments St. Waudru Church Traditions and processions Museums
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The upper part of the tower is quite remarkable. The writer Victor Hugo wrote his wife about it :' Imagine a giant coffee pot, with under it four smaller tea pots. It would be very ugly if it weren't that big'. (Since 1984 the tower is being renovated - the renovation will take longer than the actual construction) |
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Trabel.com and
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Of course, a city the size of Mons has a town square, traditionally called
'Grand-Place'. Buildings in a panoply of styles testify that Mons was an
important center all through the centuries. The Gothic Town Hall
dominates the square. The construction started in 1458. The architect
was Mathieu de Layens, who also created the most beautiful Gothic building
in the world, namely the Town Hall of the city of Leuven. The town hall of
Most is by far not so prestigious as the one in Leuven, because again due to
financial problems the original plan was never completed. The second floor
of the building was never constructed. Only later, in 1718, the town hall
was crowned with a small open bell-tower. The inner courtyard is an oasis of
tranquillity. Through a tunnel one can reach the garden of the mayor 'Le
Jardin du Mayeur' were several museums are situated. Around the town hall
houses in different styles and from different times embellish the
Grand-Place. On both sides of the town hall are Baroque facades from the
18th century. Some of the oldest houses date from the 16th century (the
southern side, close to Rue de la Chausée). Since Mons was heavily destroyed
in 1691 during the siege of the city by Louis XIV of France at the time of
the Spanish Succession Wars, a lot of houses were rebuilt afterwards in the
typical French styles of the 18th century (Louis XIV, XV and XVI styles).
